WESTWOOD — Prosecutors have charged two young men with causing more than $10,000 in damage to UCLA’s bruin bear statue during “rivalry week,” a few days before the Bruins played USC.

Louie Torres of Studio City, 19, and Willie Johnson of Van Nuys, 18, neither of whom is affiliated with either college, were each charged Wednesday with one felony count of vandalism with over $400 damage, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The two were arrested on Dec. 19 and were due to be arraigned Thursday.

“The Bruin Bear was vandalized while it was secured in a wooden box for the UCLA-USC football game that weekend,” Kilgore said. “Two suspects pried open the wooden case and painted the Bruin Bear with red and yellow paint, resulting in damage of over $15,000.”

If convicted as charged, both defendant face a possible maximum sentence of three years in jail, prosecutors said.